Abstract: In a minimally invasive surgical system, an image capture unit includes a prism assembly and sensor assembly. The prism assembly includes a beam splitter, while the sensor assembly includes coplanar image capture sensors. Each of the coplanar image capture sensors has a common front end optical structure, e.g., the optical structure distal to the image capture unit is the same for each of the sensors. A controller enhances images acquired by the coplanar image capture sensors. The enhanced images may include (a) visible images with enhanced feature definition, in which a particular feature in the scene is emphasized to the operator of minimally invasive surgical system; (b) images having increased image apparent resolution; (c) images having increased dynamic range; (d) images displayed in a way based on a pixel color component vector having three or more color components; and (e) images having extended depth of field.

Abstract: In a minimally invasive surgical system, an image capture unit includes a prism assembly and sensor assembly. The prism assembly includes a beam splitter, while the sensor assembly includes coplanar image capture sensors. Each of the coplanar image capture sensors has a common front end optical structure, e.g., the optical structure distal to the image capture unit is the same for each of the sensors. A controller enhances images acquired by the coplanar image capture sensors. The enhanced images may include (a) visible images with enhanced feature definition, in which a particular feature in the scene is emphasized to the operator of minimally invasive surgical system; (b) images having increased image apparent resolution; (c) images having increased dynamic range; (d) images displayed in a way based on a pixel color component vector having three or more color components; and (e) images having extended depth of field.

Abstract: This invention relates to a stereo imaging system for use in telerobotic systems. A method of imaging a target site in a stereo imaging system is provided. The method typically includes capturing a right and a left optical image of the target site and transforming the right and the left optical images preferably into digital information. The method further includes converting the digital information into opposed images of the target site displayed on a stereo display of the stereo imaging system, one of the opposed images being associated with the right optical image and the other of the opposed images being associated with the left optical image. The method further includes regulating the digital information to cause the positions of the target site displayed on the opposed images to change relative to each other.

Abstract: In one embodiment of the invention, a robotic surgical system includes a master control console having a stereo viewer to view stereo images; a surgical manipulator having a stereo endoscopic camera coupled to a robotic arm to generate the stereo images of a surgical site; a stereo telestration device coupled between the stereo endoscopic camera and the stereo viewer to mix telestration graphics and the stereo images of the surgical site together for viewing by the stereo viewer; and a telestration generator coupled to the stereo telestration device to generate the telestration graphics for overlay on the stereo images of the surgical site.

Abstract: Robotic, telerobotic, and/or telesurgical devices, systems, and methods take advantage of robotic structures and data to calculate changes in the focus of an image capture device in response to movement of the image capture device, a robotic end effector, or the like. As the size of an image of an object shown in the display device varies with changes in a separation distance between that object and the image capture device used to capture the image, a scale factor between a movement command input may be changed in response to moving an input device or a corresponding master/slave robotic movement command of the system. This may enhance the perceived correlation between the input commands and the robotic movements as they appear in the image presented to the system operator.

Abstract: This invention relates to a stereo imaging system for use in telerobotic systems. A method of imaging a target site in a stereo imaging system is provided. The method typically includes capturing a right and a left optical image of the target site and transforming the right and the left optical images preferably into digital information. The method further includes converting the digital information into opposed images of the target site displayed on a stereo display of the stereo imaging system, one of the opposed images being associated with the right optical image and the other of the opposed images being associated with the left optical image. The method further includes regulating the digital information to cause the positions of the target site displayed on the opposed images to change relative to each other.

Abstract: An input device for robotic surgery mechanically transmits a grip signal across a first joint coupling a handle to a linkage supporting the handle. The handle is removable and replaceable, allows unlimited rotation about the joint, and may optionally include a touch sensor to inhibit movement of a surgical end effector when the hand of the surgeon is not in contact with the handle.

Abstract: An input device for robotic surgery mechanically transmits a grip signal across a first joint coupling a handle to a linkage supporting the handle. The handle is removable and replaceable, allows unlimited rotation about the joint, and may optionally include a touch sensor to inhibit movement of a surgical end effector when the hand of the surgeon is not in contact with the handle.

Abstract: A digital still store system (10) receives composite digital 4:2:2 D1 video signal inputs in parallel at (12) or serially at (14). The signals are supplied in component form selectively to one of framestores (18) and (20). The component signals are supplied from the framestores (18) and (20) to hard disks (22) through a buffer store (24) and disk input/output (I/O) circuits (26). Each of the hard disks (22) stores still video images as either 525 or 625 line digital frames for either NTSC or PAL composite signal inputs and outputs. Y and C fields of component video signal information are supplied from the hard disks (22) through the buffer store (24) and one of the frame stores 18 and 20 to a compositor (28) for output as digital 4:2:2 video signals. The buffer store (24) obtains the video signal fields for either full size images or 1/4 size images, when an array for browsing and selection is desired.

Abstract: A real-time disk system (10) stores and plays back D1 digital 10-bit 4:2:2 component video and audio signals from magnetic storage disks (12). The system (10) has a main channel subsystem (14) with an associated smooth motion option (16) and a second or key channel option subsystem (18) with an associated smooth motion option (20). Serial and parallel D1 digital video inputs (30) and (32) and outputs (34) and (36) are connected to each of the channels (14) and (18) and to control subsystem (22). In the main channel (14), the serial and parallel D1 input (30) is connected through an input board (60) to a video processing board (62). The video board (62) is connected by a bidirectional, 11.times.2 wide bus (64) to disk arrays (66) and (68). Digital video signal information is stored and retrieved in parallel to and from the disk arrays (66) and (68) without requiring any serial to parallel or parallel to serial conversion.

Abstract: A decoding system (10) receives a composite digital NTSC D2 input signal or a composite analog NTSC RS-170A input signal. The decoding system (10) decodes and sample rate converts to a component digital D1 output and a component analog RGB or Y(R-Y) (B-Y) output. A control panel (20) is connected to the decoding system (10) to provide digital control of the important decoding parameters to provide decoding flexibility. The composite video signal is supplied directly to an adaptive combiner (44), through a line comb filter (48) to the adaptive combiner (44), and through a frame comb filter (52) to the adaptive combiner (44). The composite video signal is also supplied to a frame transition or motion detector (58) and to a line transition or motion detector (60). If no frame transition or motion is detected, the adaptive combiner (44) utilizes frame based three dimensional decoding.